15 Ways The Walking Dead Series Is Better Than The Comics

AMC’s The Walking Dead is without a doubt one of the most popular series that’s still currently running. The only show that’s able to compete with The Walking Dead’s popularity is HBO’s Game of Thrones. It seems as though AMC has concocted the perfect formula for the zombie apocalypse and everyone is hooked with each episode.

Even after 7 seasons, The Walking Dead’s flare continues to shine brighter as it attracts more and more viewers. There’s a good reason why fans love the show and it’s simply because it’s just that good. We’re all wishing that the show wouldn’t get cancelled but at the rate that it’s going, a cancellation seems less likely than a real life zombie outbreak.

The TV series is the adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s popular comic series of the same name. Despite being exactly the same setting, premise and at often times, story, the two versions of the title are different from each other and some fans even prefer one over the other. Let’s be honest though, the comic and TV versions are both worth binging over.

We can’t help but wonder which of the two versions is better. While they’re different and similar at the same time, it seems as though the TV series has the better grasp on the fan base than the comic series. While there’s an ongoing debate between which version of the two is better, we’ve got 15 reasons why The Walking Dead TV series is better than the comics.

15.More Accessible

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There are over 130 issues of The Walking Dead comics that spans throughout the several arcs including The Governor’s and Negan’s storyline. Getting to read all the comics and catch up to the story requires a lot of time, patience and of course, money. Unless fans have been collecting the comics since it’s early issues, then reading all of what the comics has to offer is a tough job.

We can’t say the same for AMC’s TV series. There’s no doubting that the TV series is a hundredfold more accessible than its comic book counterpart and it’s easy to see why. AMC’s series have archives all over the net and viewers new to the series could even catch up with reruns. It’s pretty obvious which version is more accessible and this is another point why the TV series is better than the comics.

14.Great Acting

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The heart of every movie or TV show isn’t the setting, story or cinematography. It’s the actors that make the story come to life and we’re pretty lucky that AMC’s The Walking Dead is spearheaded by some amazing actors and actresses who play their respective roles with such finesse.

From Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes to Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan, all roles in the show are brought to life with top-notch acting. Even Chandler Riggs handles the role of Carl Grimes from youth to adolescence perfectly. Even better, we got to see Riggs grow in front of our eyes, bringing us closer to the character than we ought to be.

The show is never short on some amazing acting and each week the season runs, we are treated to an excellent display of acting. We can’t handpick who’s the best actor in the cast as each of them shines in their respective roles.

13.Rick’s Hand

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Back when Rick was still going toe-to-toe with the original one-eyed wonder AKA The Governor, fans who’ve read the comics were on the edges of their seats waiting for a particular scene to happen. The scene in particular would’ve made Rick less “handy” around the group.

After being captured by The Governor, Rick’s right hand was amputated forcefully by the soon to be one-eyed wonder. This results in Rick being heavily affected throughout the rest of his life. However, he does learn to live life with a left hand eventually but we all know that it’s not the same.

We’re thankful AMC didn’t introduce this monumental yet harrowing scene from the comics. We’d rather see Rick suffer at the hands of enemies rather than suffer because he’s missing a limb. Besides, the show is definitely better with Rick being able to beat up the baddies with two hands instead of one.

12.The Walking Dead’s Survivors Are Smokin’

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The cast of AMC’s The Walking Dead is not only filled with very talented actors and actresses. The star studded cast is also filled with Hollywood’s prettiest faces. We wouldn’t mind being in the zombie apocalypse with these gentlemen ladies that not only kill Walkers but break our hearts as well.

The female ensemble of The Walking Dead includes Lauren Cohan, Christian Serratos, Sonequa Martin, Madison Lintz and so many more. AMC provides us with pretty brutal scenes in the show but they make up for it with the lady survivors.

Let’s not count out the male survivors as well. Spearheading the cast of The Walking Dead is the ever masculine, Andrew Lincoln who’s currently up against another Hollywood head turner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Despite not having been able to have a decent shower, the survivors in The Walking Dead still look a whole lot better than us even after a beauty treatment.

11.Carol’s A Badass

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At the start of season 1, Carol Peletier was one of the worst survivors in Rick’s original group. The battered housewife was helpless and no one expected her to last more than 1 or 2 seasons. Contrary to what fans may have thought of Carol during the early seasons of the show, Carol is now a legitimate badass.

Up until now, Carol is still up and running and she’s not the same hardcore housewife she used to be but it’s going to be a matter of time before Carol takes up arms once again. She has killed a lot of the baddies and she did so alone.

We can’t say the same for comic Carol as she remained helpless all throughout the series. The character was still fun as readers saw her blossoming relationship with Tyreese but aside from that, she wasn’t just as good as AMC’s take on Carol.

10.Gore Is On Fleek

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AMC’s The Walking Dead is not for the squeamish. AMC’s special effects team is always at their best to provide us with some of the most detailed scenes to date. From Negan’s Lucille kill to the countless stomach churning scenes in the series, The Walking Dead’s gore level is always at an all time high.

The comic series is also akin to brutal scenes. In fact, there might be more brutal scenes in the comics than on the TV show. However, we prefer our kill scenes moving over stationary. We’re here to watch the horrors of the apocalypse and not read through it.

Whatever the comic series had to offer, the TV show did better. There’s not a single scene in the comic series that outdoes the scenes from AMC’s series. But let’s give credit where it’s due; without the comics, AMC’s The Walking Dead won’t have any other inspiration.

9.It Keeps On Taking Us By Surprise

It’s no secret that most of the things going on in AMC’s series is greatly inspired by the events that Robert Kirkman made in the comics. Despite the two versions’ similarities, AMC still manages to catch us off-guard from time to time. When we think we know what’s about to happen, AMC pulls a fast one on us.

Throughout all the episodes, AMC has managed to surprise us from time to time. Even more surprising is that we fall for the trick every single time. One of the biggest surprises in the series was in the episode “Thank You.” In the episode’s final scenes, everyone thought Glen was a goner thanks to Nicholas’ suicide.

A bigger surprise came when Glen reappeared before the season ended. Then the biggest surprise of the series came at the opening of season 7 where many though Glen was safe from Negan’s wrath because Abraham was the unlucky one.

8.Carol’s Still Alive

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Another good reason why the TV series is way better than the comics is that Carol’s still alive! Despite her numerous brushes with death, Carol manages to pull through at the last moment, further solidifying her badassery and her place in our hearts.

Carol’s stint on the comic series didn’t last very long. She lasted only until the prison and shortly before the group met The Governor. In the comics, Carol committed suicide by going into a mob of zombies. Her zombified self was killed by Andrea.

If Carol committing suicide wasn’t bad enough, the reason behind it was definitely worse. She first tried to kiss Rick and proposed a polygamous relationship between him and Lori. Rick rejected the idea of course. Carol then proposed the idea to Lori; being turned down wasn’t ideal for her and thus she committed suicide.

7.It Has Daryl Dixon

Let’s face it, despite Rick Grimes being the lead character, we’re all rooting for Daryl Dixon. If it comes down to a choice between saving the life of either Rick or Daryl, we pick the latter. Daryl is the TV series’ own creation. He isn’t part of the comics and the crossbow wielding fan favorite is a character for the ages.

When the series started, comic books fans had no idea who the guy with the crossbow was. A few seasons in, he became everyone’s favorite. Daryl does have a counterpart in the comics though and that is The Saviors’ Dwight. When Dwight came to the series, Daryl’s fans worried about the characters life on the series as his comic counterpart is finally on the show.

Surprise surprise, Daryl’s still on the show. Despite being held up inside Sanctuary, Daryl made it out with the help of Jesus and his survival skills. Both characters have a crossbow now and an duel between the two is imminent. We’re all definitely rooting for Daryl.

6.Walkers Are Better On Screen

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While there’s no doubting that the artwork of The Walking Dead comics is pretty neat, the Walkers look a whole lot better on screen. It saves us the trouble of leaving the unimaginable horrors to our imagination.

The TV series also made us look into some of the worst zombie creations there was. Monstrosities such as the water well zombie and the recent spiked armored zombie weren’t part of the comics and the AMC’s own rotten flesh and blood. These zombies not only add variety to the usual Walker but it also amps up the fear factor in the game.

What’s even better about the Walkers in the series is that they get more horrific with each season. As time progresses on the show, so does the rotting flesh on the show. With each season, Walkers become more and more decomposed.

5.So Many Memorable Scenes

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Most of the memorable scenes in AMC’s TV adaptation of The Walking Dead are from the comic series. But of course, the scenes are better when they come alive on screen rather than stationary on printed pages. Throughout the course of the show, we’ve seen TV’s best moments on display thanks to AMC.

Each season is never short on heart stopping and heart breaking scenes. The first season was remembered for Rick’s first encounter with the undead. The second season, for showing us the zombified Sophia who the Greene family has been keeping. The list goes on and on and AMC isn’t holding out this season as well.

Season 7 started with a bang as it finally revealed who Negan killed. The makeup artists and special effects department over at AMC didn’t hold back on the scene and though it was very gruesome, we got to see why The Walking Dead is one of the best zombie apocalypse series out there.

4.Villainous Villains

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The Walking Dead; both the comics and TV series, are home to some of the most notorious villains. Thanks to Robert Kirkman’s creations in the comics, we get to see these iconic villains come to life on TV. With an excellent script and top-notch acting, the villains looked more menacing than ever.

As is the case with other entries on this list, it’s a hundred times better to watch the events unfold with our very own eyes. Comics are good and all but TV is what really pushes us to see the world through the eyes of the survivors in The Walking Dead.

Shane Walsh, The Governor, Negan and others more. AMC’s series took upon the foundation laid in the comics to create TV’s baddest baddies. The upcoming villains in the TV series are The Whisperers. We’re all way too excited to see AMC’s iteration of Alpha and the other members of the group.

3.Cliffhangers

It seems as though AMC has perfected the art of cliffhangers. AMC loves cliffhangers and as much as we’d hate to admit it, we do to. In the comics, cliffhangers aren’t that big a deal. Robert Kirkman and the team behind the comics try to end each issue fully so that they’ll have more room for story in the next issue.

In AMC’s TV adaptation, we’re treated to cliffhangers galore! Many viewers get irritated when AMC pulls a fast one on us but let’s all agree that cliffhangers are fun and enjoyable. They make us wait for the next episode more eagerly. Plus, it gives us something to talk about until the next episode arrives.

There have been quite a few cliffhangers in The Walking Dead already. The two most infamous cliffhangers are Glen’s first “almost” death scene with Nicholas. The other is Glen’s actual death along with Abraham through the hands of Negan and Lucille.

2.Heartwarming Moments

Both the comics and TV versions of The Walking Dead definitely take the zombie apocalypse genre to a darker tone. Deaths happen all around. So do betrayals, unseen twists and many more gloomy twists. In the comics, The Walking Dead is a darker story than what we see on screen. Surprisingly enough, the grim factor of the TV series is only a half of what the comics has to offer.

We get that the whole point of the zombie apocalypse genre is making sure that no one is safe. However, it seems like the comics series wants to do away with the sunshine after the rain. Nearly almost all parts of the comics series is dark and haunting.

We can’t say the same for the TV series. Thanks to AMC, fans are treated to short instances of joy in the zombie apocalypse. The best heartwarming scene in the series so far was Daryl and Rick’s reunion in season 7. It showed us that not all hope is lost in the end of the world.

1.The Best Zombie Apocalypse Simulation

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With all these reasons why the TV series is better, we can safely assume that AMC’s The Walking Dead is the best zombie apocalypse simulation there is out there. It outdoes the comics in a few categories and it’ll probably continue to beat the comics in the following years to come.

Don’t get us wrong, the comic series is still an excellent piece for zombie aficionados but the TV show still offers up the best viewing experience. It has guts, glory, gore, decaying zombies, amazing actors and so much more. What’s even better is that we stand witness to how Rick and the survivors’ story unfold before our eyes.

There’s no distant competitor that can take the place of AMC’s The Walking Dead and we’ll be happy to support the show in the years to come. But AMC, if Daryl dies, we’ll still riot.